Western and Central Africa
Eastern and Southern Africa
Eastern Europe and Central Asia
Latin America
The Pacific
Arab States
Caribbean
Asia
Which are the specific requirements regarding content of contaminants?
Most developed countries have established standards for tolerances for pesticides, herbicide and fungicides used in the production and treatment (e.g. fumigation) of agricultural products. These countries have established Maximum Residues Levels, often referred to as MRLs. As organic agriculture prohibits the use of most synthetic pesticides, producers of fresh organic fruit and vegetables are very unlikely to exceed these MRLs. However, those producers who use some of the few synthetic inputs permitted by organic standards should be aware of these requirements (for more information on this topic see: www.coleacp.org).